Last week, I tried to pry open the last thing that was too tough for my little Leatherman that I’ve had now for several years.
I went out to buy myself a new one and noticed a brand named Gerber right beside them in the display case. They seem to have as good a quality as Leatherman, similar pricing, but seem to have a little “cooler” styling.
Can any of you guys (& gals) who have had them let me know which one you prefer?
Thanks.
Replies
I have a Leatherman (two actually) and they work fine. I've used a friend's Gerber, and it does have one feature that I like better. When you use the pliers of the Leatherman, the handles are turned out so that you are gripping two narrow strips of metal rather than a full handle. This makes it uncomfortable if you have to bear down hard. The Gerber that I tried was made in such a way that the handles stay in a more comfortable position.
Rizzo the Rat, A Muppet Christmas Carol
Leatherman if you're a man............. Gerber if you're a baby.
Sorry, I couldn't resist :)
Paul
Having used many of the multi-tools out there I would recommend the Leatherman Wave beyond all others. I use it all the time and have no complaints.
My two cents,
Jonathan
Toddlers seem to enjoy Gerber, I have yet to see one eat Leatherman.
Sorry, that just seems to be the way the threads I am reading tonight are going.
Rob
I had to look up what a Leatherman Wave was!Looks 'cool' but I'd probably hurt myself just opening it up!
"Looks 'cool' but I'd probably hurt myself just opening it up!"
Actually, it's closing it that's dangerous--I've pinched my fingers more than once doing that.
-Steve
I'm a big fan of Gerber knives, have many in my knife collection. But when it comes to multitools, Leatherman all the way. BTW, most Gerber products are no longer made in the USA. Don't know about their multi tool, but most if not all their knives are now made in Asia. Too bad....I don't have a problem with stuff made in Asia, but I'm glad I got my knives when they were made in USA.
Jeff
Len
I have both, and have used both in the field for 10+ years. I take whichever is handiest, but I find the find the needle-nose of the L-man more useful the regular plier of the Gerber. The Gerber is more rust-prone too. However, the Gerber is easier to open. So ther'e your answer- get both.
Gerber makes very good steel. I have had a great greber knife for many years.
Pardon my spelling,
Mike
Make sure that your next project is beyond your skill and requires tools you don't have. You won't regret it.
LEDERHOSEN .. I had some on and the girl asked me why my legs were all full of goose bumbs.. I told her in my broken German
LEDERHOSEN.. Ich hatte einiges an und das Mädchen fragte mich, warum meine Beine von Gans bumbs alles volle waren
In plain English I told her My legs were cold and she gave me goosbumps on top of them!
I am a working canbinetmaker and joiner (US: trim carpenter). I've had a stainless steel on my belt every day for more than 5 years - and it gets used many times each day. I couldn't live without it - well I could but I'd rather not! Edges hold good, too
Scrit
L T, at risk of being called a curmudgeon, I have always felt that Leatherman (and others of that ilk) are useless gimmicks and embarrassments when displayed on one's belt(Like a Boy scout Swiss army knife) Do yourself a favor and buy real tools. USA made with names as, Kraeuter/Utica/Boker/Williams/Channellock/Klein/Proto etc, etc.
Have you ever used imported crummy drill bits or Asian made socket wrench sets that failed you when you needed a real tool?
OKAY,I confess, I'm 77 and was brought up respecting good tools and real drop forged steel measuring tools (Starrett/ Lufkin/ Brown and Sharp/
Most have lasted at least 50 years and are still working, are clean and sharpened ,DON'T have pretty blue or red rubber handles (Which only hide un polished rough casting that was once routinely machined away, then, buffed to a fine shine. Can you say "Cut corners"??
We Americans have been dumbed down so much. that quality furniture is made of forest debris, Clothing made from spun plastics, Paints made from water. AND THE WORST INSULT TO CIVILATION.....
WINE IN A PLASTIC BAG AAARRRGG!
Signed Anonymous
Edited 11/12/2007 3:11 pm ET by Steinmetz
Timothy Leatherman was an aerospace engineer in the LA area. He tinkered with folding hand tools for years eventually going way beyond the Swiss Army knife. When the post-cold war defense cutbacks got him laid off, he gambled every dollar he could raise producing the original leatherman. His original leatherman tool invented a whole new class of tool.Soon, all the pocket knife corporations came out with their own multi-tools. I have a leatherman wave right now and wouldn't buy one of the copycat brands because I respect the invention of Tim Leatherman. The newest Leatherman (that I'm aware of) sports locking pliers (a la vise grips) instead of pliers.Cheap Chinese knock off? No, the Leatherman celebrates the best of America so you may want to buy one just based on principal.
T Mike, Sorry about the Rant I bought one recently for my grandson who thinks it's neat. Soon, my four other grandsons will bug me for one. By the way,I couldn't exist without Visegrips â„¢
Stinmetz.
Edited 11/13/2007 7:37 pm ET by Steinmetz
I have the Leatherman Wave and love the thing. It goes everywhere wth me, including salt water fishing. Someone once gave me a Gerber and it rusted so bad, after one fishing trip, I had to throw it away!
Ok, well I think I've been well and truly answered! I think I'm going to stick with Leatherman. I've wanted a bigger model than I had, so I'm probably going to get the wave. (I had one of the smaller "keyring" types) But I will be sending this back, thanks for the advice on the 20 year guarantee.I'd like to thank everyone who replied and I have a funny story for the anonymous curmudgeon. Firstly, I fully agree with you on the need for quality, even though I do sometimes find myself in that "damn, I wish I had a screwdriver with me" situation. Years ago when I first started cabinet making in New York, my Dad and I were in a bind while working on a jobsite near China town. Instead of taking the time to go to a recognised hardware store and buy quality drill bits, I decided to cut my time in half and get them from the "local" store. When I first started to drill the required 1/8" holes in thin steel sheets we were using, I thought how great these bits were, they were cutting through it like a hot knife through butter. I very quickly discovered that it wasn't cutting through it all, but disintegrating on contact! Buy Cheap, buy twice.
Len, worked in NYC for 50 years as a carpenter 46 to 96Once did a job in a building near City Hall installing sliding fire doors. The firm manufactured drill bits. Can't remember the brand, but they're still there on Lafayette St.All throughout the factory, the floors were littered with drill bits that were swept up and tossed. Being a young apprentice at the time,I figured some of those high speed twist drills were rejects and discarded. I left the job with two pockets full of those bits Upon inspection, I found most were not correctly sharpened or, too short or too long. "What the heck", I thought, "I'll sharpen them up myself and save a bunch of money" When I got home, I took them into my garage/shop and sharpened every last one of them. Most of the time I used the boss's drill bits and kept the free ones at home. To make a long story even longer, the first one I used on metal untwisted itself and the next and nex...SHOOT!.soft as warm butter. The bits turned out to be rejected as they came off the automatic sharpening machines when they were not perfectly sharpened or maybe too short So as not to run them through the next process, they simply removed them so they wouldn't go into the (You guessed it)heat treat process. Steinmetz Aka Curmudgeon
I've used the Leatherman for years. but the OP is right, the handle styling of the Gerber is very nice:http://www.gerber-tools.com/images/Gerber-Diesel-Black-large-22-01545.gifhttp://www.gerber-tools.com/
Len, you do know that Leatherman has a 20 year warranty on their tools, right? Just ship them your tool and they'll fix or replace it.
I've had my L'man original for 20 years now. I was a construction (field) boilermaker for 15 of them (now retired)and can't count the number of trips to the toolcrib that thing saved me. This is more relevant than you may think because the toolcrib might be not only a 1/4 mile away but also 150 feet down and back up again...all because you didn't bring wirecutters, pliers, or a screwdriver up at the start of the shift.
I've no problem with the thing's quality, but seldom use the knife blade. I'm happy to carry an Opinel in my pocket;it keeps an excellent edge. (Lee Valley sells them, and they're not expensive: just a good folding knife.)
A few years ago, I misplaced the L'man. 4 months later I was ion a pawnshop and spotted a Wave; the price was right. Three days later I found the original, but I'm happier with the Wave's handles, so the original sits in the kitchen utility cupboard.
not to toss another wrench into this but these are pretty sweet.
http://sogknives.com/store/tools.html
Len
I have 16 pocket tool kits... bit of a fetish.. and I like and use both brands.
Friend of mine complained when his Gerber would not close after twisting the bung out of a 55 drum. Told him to send it back to Gerber. He was promptly send a new one with no questions asked.
That kind of customer service makes for loyalty.
Ric
Bucktool!!! Made in the USA.
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